Expendable
by Sentry785
Summary: Everyone loves heroes when they are needed. But what about when they're not needed? The Loonatics have been doing this hero thing for ten years now. Now that there is no major threats to the city, what will happen to them? *** Let me know if you guys want more, also please leave a review.***
1. Chapter 1

***DISCLAIMER*: All of the respective characters, plots, settings etc. are the property, both intellectual and non, of the respective owners of Loonatics Unleashed IP (Warner Bros. Animation) I am IN NO WAY with the owners, creators or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.**

Expendable:

The bright light irritated Ace's eyes. He hated the monthly check ups, however, after some time, he had begrudgingly accepted it into his routine. He was glad Tech was still as vigilant as when they first started. But that light still irritated his eyes.

"Do you really need to shine that light in my eyes _so_ long, Tech?"

Tech offered a wry smile at Ace's discomfort. After ten years, he had come to expect it.

"Just long enough for you to get uncomfortable. I know how much you _love_ these check-ups."

Tech moved the light away from Ace's eyes and switched it off. Ace blinked harshly as his pupils readjusted to the light. Tech made some notes on his computer.

"Alright… I just need some blood work and then we're done for this month."

Ace moved over to the dentist-like chair where Tech was waiting to extract a blood sample. Ace sat down then promptly leant back in the chair, his arms positioned on the armrests, giving Tech unobstructed access to his veins. The needle was inserted with Tech's signature surgical precision. Once a sufficient sample was collected, he removed the needle, placed it down in the sterile tray and bandaged the puncture area after swabbing the area with disinfectant. Ace stood up and cast a disappointed look in Techs direction.

"Anything else you need Ace?" Tech tilted his head. Ace adopted a hurt expression

"Don't I get a lollipop?" Tech ignored the rhetorical question and turned back to his computer. While the computer archived Ace's blood sample, he let out a relieved sigh. Ace saw Tech visibly slump in his chair.

"Everything okay Tech, buddy?" Tech ran a hand across his face before replying.

"No nothing's wrong. It's just… ten years of doing this. We're not twenty-somethings anymore. I guess I just feel like we've had all that time taken for this-" He gestured at the lab he was sitting in. "- and it feels unfair." Ace appraised his long-time friend. He looked tired, extremely tired. The first beginnings of silvery fur were beginning to show on his muzzle.

"It has been a long time, Tech." Ace agreed "But we've helped loads of people. That's what we do, that's what heroes do. The fact we lost that time is just a sacrifice we must accept." Tech straightened, a sheepish look on his face

"I guess you are right Ace." He shook his head quickly as if to dispel those thoughts. "Anyway, we are done with the check-up. If you need me I'll be here working on some stuff." He turned back to his computer, engaged in his ever-present pile of work. Ace bid farewell then left the room. As the door slid open Ace was almost knocked over by a red blur followed by a hasty apology. Ace chuckled as he exited the room and the door slid shut. Rev seemed to have gotten faster in his older age. If that was even possible. Ace made his way into the kitchen to get some food. Slam was currently working his way through the food reserves for the week. Ace moved quickly to snag a couple of carrots and soft drink before Slam could devour them. Slam uttered a greeting in between handfuls of food. Ace returned the greeting as he exited the kitchen, glad he didn't have to clean up the mess Slam left behind.

Passing the couch as he headed for his room, Ace accidently bumped into Duck. Duck rebounded off him and landed on his back with an indignant squawk. Ace offered a hand to Duck, who took it with murmured thanks. Duck then pushed past Ace, turned on the television and flopped on the couch with an audible thud.

Ace watched as Duck changed channels, pausing only slightly between button presses. When Duck finally settled on a channel, Ace could only let out an amused sigh. It was the Misty Breeze Show. Like it always was. Even after all this time Duck was still a sucker for Misty Breeze.

"Even after ten years, Misty Breeze still looks heavenly," Duck sighed "How is it that she still looks so young?" Ace had the perfect snide comment lined up but a voice behind him stole it from him

"I believe it's called plastic surgery, Duck" Lexi brushed past Ace to address Duck. Lexi looked as good as she did when Ace first laid eyes on her. Her tan fur glistened, suggesting she had recently had a shower. Lexi glanced over at him, catching him staring at her. Ace abruptly tore his gaze away from his second in command and focused back on Duck.

"You're just jealous Misty Breeze is famous _and_ attractive," Duck retorted with a sniff. Lexi just rolled her eyes at Ace, making fake gagging motions behind Duck's back. Ace chuckled at her perfect encapsulation of their reaction to Misty Breeze. Lexi jerked her head to the side and gave him a questioning look

"I was going to train. You wanna spar?" Ace smiled, giving her a brief nod, then followed her into the training room. Duck watched them leave, then slowly shook his head

"Such a waste of time. There hasn't been any major crime in years." Duck snorted. The advertisement break ended and Duck was once again captivated by its flickering lights and colours.

Ace and Lexi entered the training room at the same time. The room was split into two parts; one side was sparse, used for sparring bouts. There was no need for a mat as Tech had installed a super soft polymer hybrid just above the ground. It absorbed the inertia created by a body hitting the ground, removing the risk of injuries. As such Ace and Lexi did not need any protective equipment when they sparred. The other side of the room contained various fitness equipment that the team had regularly used when the people of Acmetropolis had still needed them. Everyone on the team still trained and acted like they all still mattered. They were only lying to themselves.

As they normally did, Ace and Lexi started their sparring session facing each other, about an arm- length away from each other. Suddenly Lexi closed the gap between them until she was close, extremely close. Ace gulped as he looked Lexi up and down. She really was as beautiful as the day they met. Lexi raised an eyebrow as she watched Ace check her out.

"See something you like?" Ace had the decency to look suitably chastened, even blushing a little. Lexi let out a wry grin. She leant even closer towards Ace, so close their noses almost touched. Ace's breath quickened at Lexi's proximity to him. He never noticed Lexi position her foot behind his, that is, until he crashed back onto the floor. He didn't feel any pain, but the wind was knocked out of his lungs. Lexi towered over him, not a single hint of remorse on her face.

"Now _that_ I like seeing." She said as a mischievous smile broke out on her face. Ace, having recovered and murmuring something about 'dirty trick', positioned himself opposite Lexi and the two adopted their fighting stances. The sparring began. Ace and Lexi were mostly evenly matched with Ace possibly having a slight edge in a straight fight. Punches and kick missed and connected as Ace and Lexi both dodged and ducked, counter attacking and blocking. It was a beautifully violent dance. Eventually Ace called a halt, which both took gratefully. Both combatants were panting heavily, sweat glistened off their grey and tan fur. Ace held out his hand to Lexi who took it, acknowledging an equal. Ace stepped towards Lexi, so close that his chest pressed against hers. Lexi's hands naturally fell so they rested on Ace's chest. Ace smirked.

"See something you like?" he mimicked Lexi's voice near perfectly. Lexi once again raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Possibly… depends on what you mean by like?" Ace smiled at Lexi, who returned it. The next thing Lexi knew she was on her back on the floor. Ace craned over her, a sly smile touched his features.

"Now we're even." The smile grew even wider as he reached down to help Lexi up, only to be replaced with a look of shock as Lexi used his own body weight against him, bringing him down to ground level. Ace shock grew as Lexi landed on top of him, leaning heavily on his chest.

"I guess I win." Lexi triumphantly stated. Ace was silent from the shock of what was taking place. He really hoped no one walked in right now. Lexi was still panting from the training session. The silence stretched out as they both realised just how compromising their position was. Lexi was blushing heavily as she got to her feet then helped Ace to his. Ace also had a crimson streak running up his neck. Lexi looked decidedly flustered as she grabbed a towel to dry herself off. Ace was still lost for words. The smooth sound of the door opening jarred both out of their daze. Tech rushed into the room, a mass of papers clenched in his hand. Tech went straight over Ace, stopping briefly to acknowledge Lexi then addressed Ace

"Chief, I need you to look at this right now." Ace gestured around the room

"We're kinda busy here Tech, can't this wait till-"

"You need to see it _now_ " the tone in Tech's voice got Ace's attention. It was deadly serious. Tech pushed the papers into Ace's hands. Lexi realised that this was serious and excused herself and quietly left. Ace focused on the papers in his hands. His eyes widened as he read the paper. He looked up at Tech, hoping that it was some elaborate prank. Tech's face was a grim.

"Th-This has to be a mistake… have you checked it?"

"Three times. It's no mistake." Tech was cold, almost mechanical as he answered Ace. Ace's face grew pale

"Then that would mean…" Ace paused, unwilling to voice his thought. That would make it real. That scared Ace beyond all belief. Tech held up a hand to stop Ace's panicked ramble before it began.

"Come with me to the lab. I can explain the whole thing from the start…"

Ace and Tech left the training room post haste. They headed straight for Techs lab and didn't stop until they were inside. Tech locked the door to ensure they wouldn't be interrupted.


	2. Chapter 2

Expendables: Chapter 2

The heavy 'clunk' of the door lock gave way to a heavy silence between the two Loonatics. The silence stretched to an uncomfortable length. Ace re-read Tech's report for the third time. He still couldn't accept what that report meant for the team. Tech had his back to him, pulling up all the information he needed from his computer. Having found it, he projected the information onto the wall next to his computer then turned to face Ace.

"So…?" Ace ventured

"Right, where to start?" Tech sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Okay, so I've been taking these blood samples for ten years now." He looked up at Ace. Ace gestured for him to continue. "Now when the meteor crashed into Acmetropolis, we got our powers. No one could explain it. However now with all the data collated here-" he gestured to the projections "- I have a theory. I believe the impact of the meteor caused a massive outflux of gamma rays. For most of the population, this radiation was negatable. But, for some unknown reason, the radiation affected the team, giving us our powers. Now if we got our powers from the radiation that means-"

"That means our enemies got their powers from the radiation as well!" Ace cut in. He noticed Tech's annoyance at the interruption. "Sorry Tech please, keep going." Tech shrugged the apology aside and continued.

"Right, that radiation would have had to affect our cells and mutated our DNA." Tech now gestured to the first part of the projection, an image of blood cells taken from a microscope slide. The cells were not red, as Ace imagined they would've been. They were more of a light pink colour. Tech continued to talk, changing the image with an audible click as he did so.

 _Click_

"This is the cells one year after the meteor struck." Black growths were now scattered in and around the blood cells.

 _Click_

"Three years." The black growths were more frequent in between the blood cells

 _Click_

"Five years." The black growths were consuming the blood cells, absorbing them. The original blood cells were becoming further apart from one another.

 _Click_

"Eight years." Around half of the blood cells from the original slide had now been consumed by the black growths, which had now congealed into one solid mass. Tech hesitated, unsure if Ace could handle the next slide. Ace waited expectantly for the next slide. Tech paused then…

 _Click_

"This was the blood samples from today." His voice was low and flat, not a hint of emotion was present. Ace let out an audible gasp. The growth now covered three-quarters of the blood cells in the picture easily. The implications of this were too much for Ace. He stumbled backwards onto a chair, grasping for the arm rests, as he collapsed into the chair, head in hands. Tech still wasn't done. He focused on the second part of the projection. It had six identical images of blood cells. Tech quickly flicked through them. They all ended the same way. Ace, head still in hands, couldn't bear to look at the images again. Tech, however, was unrelenting. Ace needed to see this with his own eyes. Needed to understand what this meant. "At this rate, we only have another four years. All of us." Tech paused. This last part would be the worst. Ace looked up as the silence grew.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Tech shifted uncomfortably. "What is it?" Another long patch of silence. "Tech…" Tech finally relented

"The more we use our powers the faster our cells deteriorate." He slumped back into his chair, utterly defeated. Ace physically recoiled at his words.

"W-what?" He stammered.

"Every time we use our powers that-" he gestured to the black growth. "-gets larger and larger and eventually…" Tech trailed off, looking meaningfully at Ace. Ace got the message loud and clear

"Ok. When can we tell the others?" Tech shrugged noncommittally.

"I have no idea, chief. I suppose when you feel the time is right." Ace slowly stood up, casting the problem from his mind for the moment.

"Yeah alright," Ace headed for the door. "I'll let you know when I need you to help explain this stuff." Ace left the room. Tech went over and shut off the projection and slumped at the desk, physically drained from the whole ordeal.

Ace was no sooner out of the lab then he was bombarded with questions from Rev.

"Hey Ace, you're out! What did Tech want to tell you about?" When Ace offered no reply, Rev continued the assault. "Tech normally tells me everything, so when he doesn't tell me, I know something's up." Ace really didn't want to put up with this right now.

"Rev. Get out of my way." Ace's tone brooked no argument. Rev shut up and stepped aside. Ace walked past him. Rev could only watch as Ace stormed off straight to his quarters. An audible hiss was heard as the lock on the door was engaged. As he entered Tech's lab, Rev was surprised to see the coyote slumped at his desk.

"Hey Tech, did something happen? Ace isn't talking." Tech ran his hands through his fur. This couldn't have come at a better time.

"And you think I will?" Tech snapped. Rev couldn't believe what was happening, first Ace and now Tech acting off. He saw that Tech's hackles were raised and decided to not push the matter any further. Instead, he jumped onto Tech's desk, legs swinging aimlessly as he stared the coyote down. Tech's hackles lowered as he realised what he had done.

"Sorry Rev, Ace has just been pushing me really hard with this bloodwork." He lied through his teeth. Even though Rev hadn't pushed him on the matter, he knew the roadrunner would be waiting until he least expected it to spring the question on him. So, Tech had taken a more proactive approach. Rev removed himself from the desk, grinning contently to himself.

"Well, I better let you get onto it before Ace comes back and ropes me into it." Rev took off at light speed, followed by a rush of air and scattering of papers. Tech warily began picking up the scattered papers.

Ace flopped onto his bed as the door lock enabled. He sighed and happened to glance at his bedside table. The photo stared back at him. It was a photo of the team when they first formed. Ace smiled sadly as he appraised the photo. Lexi's smile was a bit uncomfortable and Ace's a little sad. They all looked so young and carefree. No grey hairs and broken bones. _And none of that black growth eating them from the inside out_. Ace tore his gaze away from the picture, resting his head back against his pillow. Ace lapsed into sleep, but no dreams touched him.

The loungeroom was silent as Ace broke the news to them, with Tech silently providing support. Lexi, Slam, Duck and Rev were all in various states of shock. Lexi had her head in her hands, Slam was in shocked silence. Even Duck and Rev were silent. Lexi was the first to speak

"How…How long do we have?" Ace couldn't meet their eyes. Tech jumped in, letting Ace slump down into a free seat.

"Well based on my calculations, the accelerated growth when our powers are used and extrapolating… my best guess would be another eight years." The others looked slightly relieved with this estimate. Ace's head snapped up as he heard Tech's 'estimate'.

"Tech, can I talk to you alone for a sec?" Tech gave a brief nod and followed Ace out into the hallway. Once he was sure they were alone Ace faced Tech, arms crossed. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I just thought that it would be easier for them to cope." Ace was fuming.

"Y-You what?!" Tech remained silent as Ace vented. "You realise I now have to go back in there and tell them that-" Ace tailed off as he noticed something.

The loungeroom, previously noisy with the sounds of the team conversing had died away, had relapsed into silence. Ace re-entered the lounge room to find the television on and the team silent.

"C'mon guys, what's with the long faces?" Ace gave them a bashful grin. When no one answered his question, he turned to the television to see what had captured their attention. Ace visibly baulked as he saw the mayor of Acmetropolis giving a speech in the town square. A huge crowd was gathered around, listening to her speech. The text at the bottom of the screen scared Ace; _Loonatics No More?_ As he heard the mayor talk Ace felt his blood chill.

"It is my decision that all involvement regarding the city of Acmetropolis with the Loonatics be rescinded…" The mayor looked straight at the camera, her eyes black and merciless, "… Effective immediately."


	3. Chapter 3

Commotion reined outside the major of Acmetropolis office. The heavy wooden door slammed back on its hinges as Ace Bunny, eyes flaring red, stormed into the room, fists clenched. The Mayor was skimming through a thick report from her police captain. She barely glanced up at the enraged bunny before her. Her eyes flicked up from the report to calmly observe Ace. A mocking smile crept across her features

"Now, Now Mr Bunny. This can't be doing anything to help your reputation, is it?" Ace was nonplussed. Her unfazed appearance had completely thrown him off, not that he could let her see that.

"Why are you doing this? My team and I have only ever done the very best we could to protect this city and now you're just kicking us to the kerb?" The Mayor sighed, placing the report on her desk to focus solely on Ace.

"Look around bunny. Ten years you've been doing this job. You did it alright, too well. There's hardly any crime, certainly not enough to justify six superpowered freak-" her lip curled disdainfully. "- So yes, your services are no longer required. We will, of course, be requiring the accumulated blood work from the ten years. In case we do need superheroes again." The Mayor spun in her chair, turning her back on Ace. "You and your team have twenty-four hours to clear your accommodations and turn in your blood work." Ace waited for her to continue.

"and then…?" The mayor remained standing overlooking Acmetropolis.

"Then you go home Mr Bunny. Get married. Start a family. Let it go. You've all done your job, but now it's done. It's time to bow out."

Ace eyes flared red as his team's work being dismissed out of hand by this pen pusher. They had saved the city from asteroids, invaders from Mars, mole people and numerous other threats. Gradually he calmed down and left the room, not bothering to close the doors, now hanging limply from their hinges.

The Mayor remained standing, deep in thought. A single snap of her fingers brought her assistant scurrying into the room. She turned to face him. He had stayed faithfully by her for over ten years, a sweating bald man that never ran anywhere. Now he waited patiently, ready to obey. The Mayor rattled out a list of instructions

"Inform police captain Elliott to ready his men, full tactical gear, lethal force required. Also get him to close off all the surrounding districts around The Loonatics tower, make sure the citizens are nowhere near that place. And bring my car around, we need them on the back foot as soon as possible." Her assistant scurried off, a mental list of his instructions compiled. The Mayor smiled. They had them now.

A large crowd ringed around the Loonatics tower as Ace approached. He inwardly sighed as he moved closer to the crowd. They held various signs throughout the mass of people. Ace had read them before 'Go home freaks" was one. His favourite, however, had to be 'zeros not heroes!' They turned almost as one when Ace began squeezing his way through the crowd. Immediately they assailed him with taunts, insults and began spitting at him. Ace continued doggedly forward as the abuse continued. Eventually, he made it to the door and slipped inside sealing himself off from the crowd. Taking the elevator upwards, he walked into the lounge room to find Lexi lying on the couch. She looked up as he entered, taking in the spit coating him. She looked horrified.

"What did they do to you?" Ace smiled despite himself.

"Just giving me a heroes' welcome."

"We save them countless times and this is the thanks we get." Lexi face darkened "We should have left them to their fate." She rolled up off the couch and went into the kitchen to get a towel to help Ace dry off. She began cleaning the spit off his neck, fussing over him the whole time. Ace felt his hairs stand on end as Lexi's hand brushed against his neck. As Lexi stopped drying his neck he softly brushed his hand through his fur.

"Eh, thanks, Lex. Is that all of it?" She circled around him, scrutinising every inch of him. Seeing a few strands of saliva on Ace's face she closed the gap between them and wiping it off with the towel. She lingered for a few moments as she and Ace stood frozen, staring deeply into each other's eyes. They both turned scarlet red as he realised their proximity to each other. The moment was shattered by Duck making his way to the kitchen for a snack. He snorted as he saw the two bunnies practically in each other's arms

"Ten years later and they're still doing this? Ugh." Ace noticed Duck's comment and broke off with Lexi. She looked slightly embarrassed at the fact Duck had caught them red handed. As Duck moved to leave the lounge room, snack in hand, Ace got him to assemble the rest of the team in the lounge room.

As Ace delivered the mayors' ultimatum, a heavy silence hung in the room. Ace stood in front of the couch, Tech stood by the large windows overlooking the city, watching the crowd outside the tower milling around as one incoherent mass. Everyone else took residence on the couches around Ace. Duck was the first one to voice his opinion.

"Well, I guess that's it. Game over man, game over." Rev shot him a dirty look.

"Duck what do you mean? We can't quit now! We've been doing this ten years, and now that we have to leave you're just going to give up?" Duck was quick to retort

"Well I think it's better than just-" whatever it was, Tech cut him off

"Ace… you're going to want to see this." Ace moved next to Tech and looked out at the crowds below… only to find that the crowds had disappeared.

"Where did they go?" Tech was as confused as Ace felt. He had little time to contemplate this as a loud chime sounded throughout the tower. "What the hell?" The mayor appeared on the view screen for all the team to see.

"Mr Bunny, so nice to see you again. We will be taking your bloodwork now. Please do not try to resist, we have the building surrounded." Ace was stuck, he had no other choice. Lexi stood by the elevator doors, waiting for Ace to give the order. He sighed, defeated.

"Let them in." The Loonatics then took positions ringed around the entrance to the lounge room, waiting for the mayor to arrive. After mere moments, the elevator doors slid open… to reveal a squad of fully armed police with the mayor right in the middle of the group. The police fanned out of the elevator first, drawing beads on each of the Loonatics. The mayor stepped out of the elevator, parting the police in her way. She stopped as she took in the heroes ringed around the entrance.

"Mr Bunny, just packing your things I presume?" Ace adopted a cool, unflustered façade.

"Actually, we haven't started yet, we still have another twenty hours left before we get kicked out." The Mayor pushed past Ace and the rest of the Loonatics. She seemed surprised by the appearance of the tower interior itself. The kitchen could be glimpsed from where she stood. Everything in that room was squared away, ordered and uniform. In complete juxtaposition, the lounge room was a mess. Couch cushions were mixed and matched with each other, the couches themselves were worn in from ten years of wear and tear. The television was directly opposite, the cabinet underneath housed multiple gaming consoles, games and controllers. The television was flanked by two large column speakers. She could also see the locked doors of Ace and Lexis' room down the hall.

"This is what it looks like…" She breathed. Catching herself, she signalled for the police to move out and search the area. The police all pushed past the Loonatics as if they weren't even there. The mayor turned to face Ace. "Now Mr Bunny, I will only ask this once, where are the blood samples?" Out of his peripheral vision, Ace saw Tech's hackles rise as he began to step forward. Thankfully Lexi laid a calming hand on his shoulder, stopping him. Ace returned his attention to the mayor.

"It's just in there," he pointed down the hall "Second door on the right." The mayor smiled and sent two police officers to search for the blood work. She went to leave the room, calling over her shoulder

"Thank you for your cooperation Mr Bunny. I think it's time for your friends to go home." As the words left her mouth, she threw the police captain a look-unseen by the Loonatics—that said: _make sure they don_ _'_ _t leave this place alive._ As one, the police around the room raised their weapons, sighted their targets and fired. Everyone scrambled for cover. Slam was unfortunately too slow to react and was cut down by the gunfire. Ace watched in horror as Slam slumped to his knees, blood trickling out the corner of his mouth. His eyes roamed, wild and unfocused, before collapsing onto the floor and falling still.

Ace was in shock as he watched Slam's corpse, lying in a pool of his own blood. Tears began to obscure his vision as Lexi and Tech started crawling towards the elevator door. The police saw them and began suppressive fire upon them. A stray bullet hit Lexi's leg, causing her to cry out in pain. Her cry brought Ace back to reality. The police had Lexi and Tech pinned down close to the elevator doors. That was their only way out of the tower. Ace blasted lasers from his eyes at the police force, frying two of them straight away and slicing another in half. As the gunfire momentarily stopped, Tech started crawling towards the doors again. Lexi, however, was out of commission, clutching her wounded leg. Ace estimated they had about five seconds before Tech was paste.

"Rev! take them out!" Rev nodded before disappearing in a red-black blur. The blur zipped in between the police, disarming some and delivering swift punches intermittently, neutralising half of the enemy force in mere moments. Duck accounted for the remaining police, setting them alight with his flaming orbs. They had little chance to celebrate having survived, as more police rushed into the room, guns up and firing. Their fire sprayed wildly and inaccurately. Ace quickly marshalled the others

"Loonatics, we're getting out of here. To the elevators now!" Scooping up Lexi, he ran towards the now open elevator doors, flanked by the others as gunfire ate at their heels. Tech stood inside the elevator, waiting for them. As they crashed into the elevator back wall Tech pushed the ground floor button while yelling at them to hit the deck. Speeding bullets embedded themselves into the back wall of the elevator where the others had been standing mere moments before. The silence of the elevator was a stark contrast to the violent events that had occurred floors above them.

The foyer room was silent. The various lounge chairs were spread haphazardly around the room. Lexi had wanted the informal nature of the team to be shown when people came into the foyer, even if they never met the team. As soon as the elevator doors opened on the ground floor, high-velocity gunfire tore the elevator to shreds. The gunfire was halted as the police force watched as the elevator doors opened, unsure if anyone had survived that. Without warning, flaming orbs landed at the guards' feet and exploded, killing most of them instantly. Rev zipped around the ground floor taking out any surviving enemies. Ace dropped down from the top of the elevator and carefully had Lexi lowered down, ensuring not to cause her any more pain. The rest followed them. Ace let Duck take point as they cautiously made their way out the front door of the Loonatics tower onto the deserted streets. They kept moving in a closed formation, with Tech and Rev bringing up the rear, for three city blocks before setting up camp in an abandoned building site. As the builders hadn't finished the roof they had a clear view of the Loonatics tower looming above them.

Ace sized up the situation. One dead, one majorly wounded and everyone else worn down and tired. They had this brief respite for now but they were now being hunted against the very city they had protected for ten years. Ace stirred from his thoughts as Tech ran up to him.

"Ace. I have to get back into the tower." Ace could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"What?! We just barely escape with our lives and you want to go back? Are you crazy?" Tech was normally the rational, logical one. But right now, he seemed to be losing it.

"Ace, please just listen. They want our blood work, right? Well, that blood work is in my lab. But it's not the only thing in there that we don't want the mayor getting her hands on." Ace gave him a questioning look, waiting for him to finish. Tech hesitated briefly, then took the plunge: "in my lab, I have plans that, in the event we all start playing the bad guys, can be used to neutralise our powers... permanently."

"What the hell did you just say?" Ace couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You have plans that can kill us?" Tech nodded. "Where in your lab is it?"

"In a strongbox in a secret compartment only I know," Tech outlined his plan quickly "I get inside the tower, get to my lab, grab the plans then get back out again all in one piece." Ace weighed up the options. On one hand, he didn't want to risk losing any more of his friends, but if the plans fell into the wrong hands... He glanced over at Lexi recovering in the corner. Tech had removed the bullet, cleaned the wound then stitched her back up, but she still couldn't put her full weight on her leg. If they were found out now, there would be no running just all of them dead. He sighed and motioned Duck over towards them.

"Duck can you get transport Tech back into the tower from here?" Duck pondered the question for a few seconds.

"Well, I guess I can manage, seeing as I am clearly the best person for the job." Ace nodded

"Alright, do it now, we don't have much more time before they get the blood work and start hunting us." Duck grabbed Tech's arms closed his eyes and with a blinding flash, they were both gone. Ace resigned himself to waiting for their return. Without warning, Duck reappeared right next to him. He was panicked and searching desperately for someone. Duck saw him and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Ace! It's bad! they've already left with the bloodwork and the strongbox is gone." It took him a few moments to register this information

"What!? How could they possibly know where the strongbox was? I thought only Tech knew that."

"Tech doesn't know either." Ace looked around quickly he couldn't see Tech anywhere

"Wait, where is Tech?" Duck still retained his grip on Ace

"The mayor planted explosives in the tower, Tech's trying to disarm them now. I need to get back there to help him." Ace switched straight into leader mode.

"Go right now. We'll start moving as quickly as we can, just get those bombs disarmed." Duck once again disappeared as Ace gathered the remaining Loonatics together. "Ok guys, here's the situation. Tech and Duck are currently working on disarming bombs that the mayor's forces have placed all around the tower. We have to get there as soon as possible to assist with getting rid of the bombs before they-" Whatever Ace had intended to say was cut off, as the Loonatics tower exploded in a brilliant, destructive ball of fire. As the shockwave rippled outwards, a cold hand of fear clutched at his heart as he realised the inescapable truth… _No one in the tower could have survived_.


	4. Chapter 4

The public relations manager was younger than most that worked for the Mayor. She had been top of her class back in Acmetropolis University and had immediately begun working for the Mayors' office. She didn't just understand how to market things to people, she knew how to manipulate people to get exactly what she, or more importantly, what her boss wanted. Now, she sat in calm silence as The Mayor looked over the latest opinion piece from yesterday. The Mayor placed the piece down on her desk, addressing the PR manager.

"Well… what can we do?" She knew the PR manager had a plan formulated already.

"The public are scared, they've seen the Loonatics around and they're panicking. They haven't seen any kind of official response from you in four months." The PR Manager was cool, calm and collected as she outlined the plan. "They need to see that the mayor of Acmetropolis is willing to protect them from any threat." She drove the point home "That is the only way you can spin this situation to your favour." A wolfish smile spread across The Mayor's face.

"Now that's a plan."

Ace, Lexi and Rev fled the temporary hideout as gunfire snapped at their heels. The Mayor's secret task force known as 'The Seekers' had found them. It seemed, Ace thought wryly, they always found them eventually. Every time they found a new hideout, within a few weeks The Seekers would receive a tip-off about them. Eventually, the gunfire ceased. They had lost their pursuers. Exhausted from the chase, they sheltered in an abandoned shed. Ace and Lexi both collapsed on the ground, drawing in lungsful of air. Rev, more accustomed to running for prolonged periods of time, was leaning heavily against the wall. After they had recovered Ace turned to Rev

"Rev, you know the drill. Wait till night then get as much of our stuff as you can. In and out." Lexi joined in

"What's the point?" a quiet anger hung over the rhetorical question. "Every time we find another safe place, we're found out." She looked straight at Ace "Ten years. They used to look up to us. Now they turn us over to those seeker goons." Tears hung in the corner of her eyes. "I'm tired of saving these people, I'm tired of running and I'm tired of this city." Rev seemed to agree with Lexi

"Yeah, why don't we just leave? It's not like we owe them anything. Slam, Tech and Duck are dead and we can't even bury them!"

"Guys, we just can't leave them! besides our contact is trying to stop The Mayor. We can't leave him after everything he's done for us." A couple of weeks after the tower explosion, Ace had received a communication from the police captain, Elliott he said his name was. He wanted to help them. He had lost good men in the tower raid and hadn't been told the Loonatics would be fired upon. The fact that he couldn't give his men a proper burial to bring closure to their families cut him deeply. He wanted to help the Loonatics stop The Mayor before more people lost their lives. Lexi still didn't trust him.

"His men killed Slam. Why would you trust him?"

"He lost men too, Lexi. He didn't know this would happen. He wants to help us stop it." Lexi's voice softened

"Ace… we've given this city ten years of our lives. Those black growths aren't going away. Let's get out while we still can, while we still have some life left to live." She was pleading with him now "Ace please." Ace couldn't meet her gaze.

"I-I just can't leave him to do it all by himself. I couldn't forgive myself." When he finally looked at Lexi, she rolled her eyes and gave him a tired smile. She slowly rose to her feet.

"You're stubborn Ace Bunny. That's what I like about you. I'm in." She held out her hand. Ace gratefully took it, pulling himself to his feet. Rev perked up, excited for the first time in months.

"Hey, you guys didn't forget me, right? There's no way I'm turning my back on you guys, no way, no way, no way!" Ace smiled, looking at his friends that had stood by him for ten years.

"Let's Jet!"

Police Captain Elliott straightened his uniform, brushing the non-existent dust off his lapel. Taking five deep breaths, he pushed the doors open and entered. The Mayor didn't even look up as he entered. She would have surely expected this sooner or later. As he approached the desk, she looked up and saluted. He did not return it. A bemused smile appeared on her face. She motioned for him to sit down. Again, he did not. He stood, straight-backed and staring forward. She leant back in her chair.

"Something on your mind captain?" Without warning, he leant forward, slamming his fist against the desk

"You know damn well what's on my mind!" his voice was barely above a whisper, yet his anger was clear.

"Oh yes… that little incident with the Loonatics."

"Little Incident?! Is that what you call blowing up men under your command?"

"No, I call that dealing with a problem, now is there anything else you wish to discuss?" She seemed amused by this whole conversation.

"Just one more thing…" His gun was drawn and aimed at The Mayor in the blink of an eye. The shot rang out. Elliott collapsed to the floor clutching at his shattered kneecap with a groan of pain. The Mayor slowly rose, leaving the smoking gun on her desk, then moved over to the wounded figure. She kicked the gun out of his hand, sending it across the room. She leant in cupping one hand to her ear.

"I'm sorry captain, I don't think I heard that." Through gritted teeth, Elliott managed

"You bitch!" The Mayor stood back up, clearly enjoying this moment. She pressed a button on the underside of her desk and two of her private security entered. Without a word, they hauled the captain to his feet.

"Take care of the former captain. Time to plan a little surprise for our Loonatic friends." She turned away as the other three departed in silence, except for the quiet sobs of the police captain.

The communication from Elliott caught Ace by surprise. They had just recovered as much of their belongings that hadn't been scrounged by looters. The fact that he wanted to meet up sent alarm bells ringing. Their only communication had been via secure communicators. Still, they couldn't pass up the opportunity for whatever information Elliott had. Under the cover of darkness, the trio arrived at the rendezvous point specified. It was an old abandoned warehouse that the police used for training exercises, such as hostage rescue and extraction. The interior was littered with props and dummy targets, all riddled with bullet holes. It was pitch black inside, as such Lexi was at point using her super hearing as a form of sonar by constantly tapping the ground around her. She navigated them around the obstructions, before abruptly stopping. She paused, listening intently, before shimmying over to Ace and whispering into his ear.

"There's someone in here."

"It must be him. He's the only one who could possibly kno-" He was cut off as the warehouse interior was flooded with light. Ace covered his eyes until the spots disappeared from his eyes. A gasp from Lexi drew his attention to the figure tied to the chair. It was Elliott. He had been beaten within an inch of his life. His face was cut and heavily bruised, one eye was swollen shut. Dried blood caked the front of his uniform. He seemed barely conscious or at least was lapsing in and out of it. He barely seemed to register that the lights were now on. Ace motioned for Rev to get him out of the chair. As Rev approached, Elliott's eyes snapped open. His head rose to meet Ace's gaze. He tried to pull away as Rev got closer, shaking his head incessantly. He tried to talk but as Ace looked closer he saw that his vocal cords had been removed, explaining the copious amounts of blood on his uniform. Before Rev could untie the captain, a voice called from across the room

"It certainly took you long enough." All three turned as The Mayor appeared behind them. Ace's lips curled in disdain

"You. What are you doing here?" The Mayor sighed.

"Mr Bunny! I'd hoped you would have figured it out. I set a trap!" she smiled cruelly "and you fell for it beautifully." She began walking towards the group. "of course, I knew about Captain Elliott's little crusade against me. So I thought two birds one stone." She noticed Rev edging his way towards the chair. "I wouldn't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because he is currently sitting on four kilogrammes of C4." Rev stopped moving towards the chair. She smiled "that's what I thought. Of course, there is an electronic keypad situated on the back of the seat." Ace held out an arm, stopping Rev.

"It could be a trap."

"Most probably but are you willing to take that risk." They both stared each other down, seeing who would flinch first. It was Ace.

"Rev, get him out of there." Rev dashed to the back of the chair, finding the keypad. His fingers were a blur, entering every possible combination almost instantaneously. Without warning, he pulled back from the chair, doubled over and clutching his wrist. He tried yanking it off.

"Don't bother. It's bolted through your wrist." They all visibly baulked "It's a bomb with a three-kilometre radius. If you try to remove the bomb, it explodes. If you do nothing in sixty seconds, it explodes." Before Rev started running she cut in. "Before you heroically save your friends and take off… there's one last thing. Once you start running, if you decelerate, even for a second, it explodes." Rev cast a worried glance at Ace. She saw it. "You have twelve seconds to decide what to do. I don't much care where you go… because I was never really here." The Mayor seemed to shimmer and flicker in front of them before disappearing. Ace and Lexi both turned to look at Rev. He looked sadly from one to the other, knowing this would be the last time they would see each other. He uttered one word. _Goodbye._ Then he was gone, already running, heading out of the city and out to sea.

Now just the two of them, Ace and Lexi ran towards Elliott. It looked like he had lapsed into unconsciousness. However, as they got to him they saw he wasn't breathing. While Lexi checked on the bomb Ace pressed two fingers against his jugular. There was no pulse. Ace fell back on his haunches in shock.

"Hey Ace, we have a problem." Jarring him back to reality, he moved around to the back of the chair.

"Oh. That is a big problem." The bomb had been armed and was currently one minute away from detonating. Ace grabbed Lexi by the arm, dragged her up and as one they ran for the exit. As soon as they made it out of the warehouse, the timer reached zero. The explosion was contained by the warehouse, as windows shattered and panels of the roof exploded upwards into the sky. The shockwave absolutely flattened the warehouse, blasting it in all directions and taking out the buildings close by. The pair were thrown onto their backs, landing next to one another. Dragging themselves to their feet, they looked around to make sure no bystanders had seen them. Lexi suddenly turned to Ace, panicking

"Oh my god Ace! We just left him to die in there. We left, saving our own skin and leaving him to die!"

"He was already dead. My guess is all the blood loss from his wounds killed him. He's in a better place."

"And what about Rev? Is he in a better place?"

"Anywhere is better than this place right now." Siren wails filled the air as Acmetropolis emergency services responded to reports of a large explosion. The duo looked at each other. "Time to disappear." Lexi gave a curt nod. Without another word, they fled into the night as sirens wailed and flames rose high into the sky.


End file.
